75(75/0) 
Legend has it that Zeus released 2 eagles from the opposite ends of the Earth and where they met became known at the center of the world. That place was Delphi, and though perhaps not really the center of the world, it was a place that played an important role in ancient Greek history.How the Oracle came to be is also well-documented in Greek myth. Originally, there was a shrine at Delphi to the Earth Mother, Gaia. That shrine was home to a giant serpent, named Python, who guarded the sanctuary.Apollo came to slay the serpent, and then claimed the site for Himself. On a cultural level, this part of the myth represents how civilization overcame the earlier, more primitive ways of Greece. Aside from these mythical origins, the Oracle at Delphi was certainly a real andimportant place.
Located up
on the south side of Mt.
Parnassus, the sanctuary is only ruins now.
The Delphi Oracle was quite a complex of buildings, besides the theatre
of the Oracle itself. There were many temples and shrines at Delphi, as
well as the treasuries for the surrounding city-states. It was a sign
of prosperity and status to have one's treasury located at Delphi. No
major decision was made in Greece without consulting the Oracle,
particularly in matters of economics and politics.
How the Oracle Worked:
People wishing to gain a
glimpse of the future from the Oracle, would give their questions to
the priests of the temple, who would then give them to the priestesses
of Apollo (known as the Pythia). The Pythia sat upon a tripod in the
centre of the temple, and "inhaled fumes from the earth" in order to
speak directly to Apollo. They would then provide a cryptic message in
response. The message was given back tothe priests who translated it
for the petitioner.
Though the records of the
Oracle clearly indicate that fumes came up through a crack in the
earth, geological studies have failed to prove that such a phenomenon
could have every existed. Who knows? Perhaps the historians of the time
took a little literary license.
The importance and
popularity of Delphi was strongest between 800BC and 400AD. With a
history spanning more than 600 years, I obviously can't cover
everything. This is just a snapshot of the Oracle and its origins.
Article Source
Related Article: Mari, Ortzi and Ilargia
Views : 938
Scienctists turns to Greek mythology
Zeus devotees worship in Athens
Legend of Perseus
Following in the steps of a Trojan hero
Evidence of pre-Zeus deity found
Oriclae of Delphi
New evidence of the cult of Zeus is 3,200 years old
Legend of Hercules
Amazons - The Mythical Race of Warrior Women
